Any idea of how I can get a chair shipped to Spain?

[anto]

It's my bil's wedding present and he lives in Barcelona. Have phoned loads of shipping/haulage companies and only ONE of them will ship to Spain and they are quoting over £200, which doesn't include packaging (another £40). The bloody transport costs will end up costing more than the chair!!! Any ideas? I am sure there'll be some brilliant Mumsnetters who'll be able to point me in the right direction...

What sort of chair?

Can't Pickfords or another furniture removals company help?

How about TNT?

I haven't done it, but it's where I'd start I think.

How much would it cost for you to get the carferry there (with the chair in the back)?

Have just had a google - there's a site called voovit which appears to specialise in students - there's a link for "oversized items" (ie ones that don't fit in one of their boxes).

Barcelona expats guide - maybe you could post a message asking if anyone is driving from the UK with space for your chair? Lots of links to other websites too.

another Barcelona site with classified notices - this is "other services", you could put something there?

expats.org - moving and storage directory.

one entry.com - you put your details in and it will find quotes for you.

depending on its size and weight, you might be able to send it using the Post Office's Worldwide Parcelforce service...they wont take anything over 20kg but anything under ...what are it's dimensions when wrapped up?

btw shipping for the Post Office is known as Surface Mail, takes anything up to 8 weeks and is cheaper than parcelforce...believe me there are somw very big parcels coming through where I work..

Like Easy I was going to suggest Pickfords or similar International Removal firm. They take extra items if they are doing a relocation and the lorry isn't full. Our truck went on to another delivery in Switzerland then Naples. You may have to fit in with someone else's timescale though.

if under 20kg Parcelforce is the cheapest option

IME the international removers are rubbish for single items (I was quoted £150 for a pushchair, ffs - something to do with the dimensions being awkward.)

Sometimes the cheapest option is to fly over and take the thing as excess baggage. Or drive, like Janh says.

If its a wooden chair, would it easily come to bits so it can go in two or more parcels (and it would be less likely to be damaged that way)?

Thanks so much, you are geniuses! JanH you have come up with more ideas in 10 mins than my dh has in a week.

We'd love to fly out there and make a weekend of it, but then it's a matter of finding/paying someone to look after our dds (and also having the front to turn up at the Easyjet desk in Luton with a large and very heavy box containing a 1950s aluminium desk chair !!). It definitely weighs more than 20kgs so parcelforce is out of the question. Will check out the many movers on the expat moving site.

Many thanks once again!

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